"We will keep all of the rights to the Hitman IP."

By
Alex Osborn

IO Interactive has officially become an independent studio and acquired the rights to its stealth-action franchise Hitman.

Studio CEO Hakan Abrak shared the news in a post on IO's official website. "I am proud to announce today that IOI is now officially an independent studio," he said. "We have successfully concluded our negotiations with Square Enix and have agreed to a management buyout. Crucially, we will keep all of the rights to the Hitman IP."

Shortly after Square Enix announced its decision to part with IO Interactive, the publisher said it was "negotiating with prospective external investors" to continue to the Hitman series. IO is also the developer behind Kane & Lynch, but there's currently no word on where that franchise will end up following the split.

With regard to what fans can expect from the future of Hitman, Abrak said IO will share more details about the studio's plans next week. The developer announced layoffs in May so that IO will "be better equipped for [its] future endeavors."